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Minister Madigan announces National Winner of the Heritage Emoji Design Competition
The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD, has praised school children for their work in protecting our heritage and for highlighting its value to them.
Minister Madigan was attending an award ceremony in the National Museum of Ireland today where she presented awards to a number of children from around the country for creating emojis of what heritage means to them. Laura Ryan of St Brigid’s National School in County Kilkenny was announced as the overall winner for her design of a viking emoji.
The emoji heritage competition was organised by the National Monuments Service of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as part of the development of Heritage Ireland 2030, a new national heritage plan for Ireland. The aim of the competition has been to engage children with heritage and allow them express what they consider important about their heritage. Vikings, round towers and the shamrock have all featured in the emojis received by the Department, along with a strong focus on traditional music and national sports.
Minister Madigan said-
We heard clearly through our recent public consultation on Heritage Ireland 2030 and at our Information Day held in Dublin castle a few weeks ago of the importance of ensuring we pass on to our youth an Ireland where heritage is valued and protected .
These wonderfully expressive drawings of what heritage means to the children of Ireland will feed into a dedicated Education/Youth section within the new Heritage Plan
It is really encouraging to see this level of passionate engagement by our youth on heritage and what it means to them. Their drawings illustrate just how broad our heritage is, from traditional sports, to culture, artefacts, monuments and wildlife.
These school children are the future leaders of government and policy makers, heritage enthusiasts and professionals. As we pass on our heritage inheritance to their generation so it will be theirs to pass on and we must do all we can to ensure that that the heritage which we have inherited can flourish under their care.